Workbench

I built this bench from plans in the ‘ol Woodsmith Magazine No.66….It’s an old issue, but after wanting to build myself a beginning bench for sometime, and now having a placewhere I coud put it in my family’s new home, I finally settled on Woodsmith’s design.

I have material bought for drawers to go underneath the bench top (which is a solid core that weighed about as much as me before i cut it down to my dimensions) but haven’t built them yet. Still deciding if i really have a need for them just yet. Having everything either on hand, at the other (existing) bench or in my tool boxes seems to help keep me organized. Everything has a place, and I know where everything is.

A few times I deviated from Woodsmith’s plans were my actual bench top size. The plans called for a 30” x 80” solid slab door as the top, but that it just too big for me, and for where its going (we still need to get a car into the garage) so I made it less deep and I made the bench top 6’ long. With 5-1/2” over hang on the right, and 12” on the left, where I will mount a vise sometime in the future.

I’m also going to put a piece of hardboard over the top, while it does look nice now, the hardboard will protect the top, and when it gets too messy or banged up, i can just replace it. I am going to edge the top in pine probably as I have enough long stock floating around.

This bench is no quite as impressive as my bed, but this was my first big project that I tackled on my own, in my garage. Without the help of my instructors, or the resources, tools, shop space that I had while at school. I quite proud of this heavy monster and now it will last me for years to come!